1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for cleaning a cloth affixed on a partition used in an office for defining independent spaces in the office, or cleaning the one on a wall of a room.
2. Description of Prior Art
Hitherto, cleaning a carpet laid on a floor or floor surface has been effected by a mechanical agitation method, using a rotary brushing device, which involves spraying a cleaning water to the floor or carpet.
Incidentally, with regard to a partition used in an office for dividing its space or an interior wall in a room, it is often the case that their surfaces lie upright or vertical, and they are formed of a metallic panel, wooden panel, resin panel, and/or a mortar-plaster panel. A cloth is affixed over such elevated wall, serving a decoration purpose, a noise suppression purpose, or the like. FIG. 6 shows a typical example of structure of the partition or interior wall, in which are provided "a vertical wall body 50" made of rigid material and a "cloth 51" covering the vertical surface of the wall body 50.
To clean this sort of "cloth which covers the vertical surface of rigid elevated wall body" can, however, not be completed by the aforementioned mechanical agitation method, for the reason set forth below.
Firstly, a rotary brushing device used results in dispersing dusts or dirt only within the cloth (or within the fuzzy layer of carpet), so as to reduce an apparent dirty state therein, and therefore it is impossible to remove the dirt from the cloth or the like being cleaned. Thus, the cleaning itself is insufficient and insanitary, which may lead to deterioration of the cloth.
Secondly, use of the mechanical agitation by a rotary brushing device will forcibly raise the nap on cloth (woven fabric). This deteriorates the cloth significantly. (But, as for such a very fuzzy material as the woolen carpet, the mechanical agitation will not affect it so adversely and thus a large rotary brushing device has been used to clean that particular carpet.)
On the other hand, one can propose using a detergent-impregnated paper or cloth strip to wipe therewith the surface of cloth to be cleaned, in a frictional manner. Nonetheless, the frictional wiping has the problem that it will damage the cloth, and the dirt will remain in the cloth to a greater amount than normally acceptable.
Certainly, the foregoing mechanical agitation and wiping by detergent-impregnated medium will work effectively in the case of a cover cloth affixed over a cushion member made of a cotton or sponge material, as found in a seat or chair, because the dirt will leave from the cover cloth and be absorbed into the cushion member. But, this is not true with the above-stated "cloth affixed on a rigid elevated wall body", in which the presence of rigid wall body prevents such dirt escape from the cloth.
Further, the cloth on the partition in an office or a wall of a room is inevitably exposed for frequent contact with hands of persons, as a result of which a film of fat or oil is created upon the surface of the cloth. This fat or oil layer inhibits the cleaning activity of detergent as applied thereto, which however has never been perceived in the art of cleaning techniques.
For the reasons above, it has been commonly held impossible in this cleaning field to effectively clean such a "cloth affixed on a vertical wall body: as used on office partition boards, room walls or the like.